The hottest Productivity Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

Clear your mind the ‘write’ way

10x your mind • 59 implied HN points • 13 Jul 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Mindfulness Stress management Creativity Productivity Social Connections
  1. Utilize mind dumping to declutter your thoughts, reduce stress, and regain focus by letting all your thoughts out on paper or screen.
  2. Try free writing to tap into your creativity, explore your thoughts, and overcome writer's block by letting your ideas flow without judgment or editing.
  3. Engage in action-oriented writing to regain control, prioritize tasks, and make progress toward your goals by following a structured approach after a mind dump.

Boosting productivity with the FUI framework

10x your mind • 59 implied HN points • 20 Jul 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Productivity Mindfulness Self-care Time management Motivation
  1. Boost productivity with the FUI framework by creating a table with columns 'What', 'Why', 'F', 'U', and 'I' to prioritize tasks.
  2. Focus on tasks that are feasible, urgent, and important (FUI) to achieve maximum productivity.
  3. Take breaks, stay hydrated, and celebrate accomplishments to maintain motivation and productivity throughout the day.

How to improve developer productivity [Storytime Saturdays]

Technology Made Simple • 59 implied HN points • 18 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Development Productivity Podcasts Engineering
  1. Learning from the mistakes and successes of others through stories can help in personal and professional development.
  2. Insight from top-tier developers at Google, like Chris Laffra, can provide valuable lessons on improving developer productivity.
  3. Subscribing to resources like Beyond Coding podcast can offer access to high-quality content for continuous learning and growth.

The Secret Behind Great Hybrid Cultures- Harvard Business Review[Storytime Saturdays]

Technology Made Simple • 59 implied HN points • 30 Jul 23
💼 Business Remote work Leadership Productivity Professional development
  1. Remote work offers benefits like better employee satisfaction, flexibility, and cost savings.
  2. Hybrid work can be a good transition for organizations unsure about fully remote work, providing a balance between remote and in-person collaboration.
  3. Understanding and implementing great hybrid cultures can unlock productivity gains for teams and leaders.

Markdown imports and exports

Pine • 19 implied HN points • 21 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Productivity Tools Digital
  1. Pine now allows you to import and export files in markdown format. This makes it easier to move your content in and out of the platform.
  2. When you use markdown, a horizontal line separates the card title from the body. If there's no line, the file name will be used as the title.
  3. The deck dropdown menu has quick access options for smoother navigation and usability. You can find what you need without searching too hard.
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Quick Ask Zoe

Thoughts on a Typewriter • 58 implied HN points • 27 Feb 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Writing Creativity Career Productivity
  1. The author attributes their ability to write quickly to their fast typing speed of 60-70 words per minute.
  2. The author reflects on how learning to type in school significantly impacted their writing productivity and speed.
  3. The author recognizes the importance of slowing down in writing to enhance creativity, inspired by their English teacher's advice.

🎮The Power of Play: How Gamification is Revolutionizing the Workplace

Work3 - The Future of Work • 58 implied HN points • 26 Apr 23
💼 Business Gamification Technology Workplace Productivity Blockchain
  1. Gamification can make dull and repetitive work more engaging by applying game-like mechanics.
  2. Employees, especially Gen Z, seek mission-driven jobs and may feel disengaged due to lack of autonomy at work.
  3. Implementing gamification in the workplace can involve rewards for assessments, fun training methods, stimulating goal-setting, and a feedback reward system.

Productivity growth and the European slowdown

Economic Growth Blog • 58 implied HN points • 15 Jun 23
💰 Finance Productivity
  1. European economic growth slowdown featured more dramatic declines in productivity growth compared to the US
  2. The relationship between slower productivity growth and higher labor force participation in Europe was interesting and complex
  3. The unintended consequence of expanding labor force participation in Europe led to a decline in average skill level and ultimately lower measured productivity growth

Hustle Week

Play Permissionless • 99 implied HN points • 16 Jan 23
💼 Business Partnerships Remote work Productivity Travel
  1. Meeting business partners in person can lead to increased productivity and better collaboration.
  2. Working together in person for a short period can bring clarity and alignment to business goals.
  3. Dedicating focused days to different aspects of business, like client acquisition and retention, can lead to immediate results and progress.

Managing Developer Feedback Effectively | Atlassian’s Andrew Boyagi

Dev Interrupted • 14 implied HN points • 14 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Software Development DevOps Productivity Feedback Company Culture
  1. Using surveys alone isn't enough for getting developer feedback. It's better to use data and metrics to understand their issues more clearly.
  2. Setting clear goals for improving developer experience can help align teams better and boost productivity. Everyone needs to be on the same page.
  3. Company culture plays a big role in connecting development efforts with business goals. A positive culture makes it easier for teams to work together effectively.

Getting exec buy-in for developer productivity initiatives

Engineering Enablement • 14 implied HN points • 12 Jan 25
💼 Business Leadership Productivity Investment Metrics Competition
  1. Focus on the specific needs of leaders. Show how your ideas can solve their biggest issues to get their support.
  2. Talk about money. Explain how improving developer productivity can directly impact profits and save costs.
  3. Create a sense of competition. Use benchmarks to show how the organization compares to others, making leaders want to improve.

How we increased execution by 10x at Coda | Oliver Heckmann - Head of Engineering at Coda

platocommunity • 39 implied HN points • 13 Dec 23
💼 Business Management Productivity Execution Planning Tools
  1. Cutting down planning time to 10% allows for better focus and higher quality plans, leading to increased execution speed.
  2. Bridging the Planning-Execution Canyon by synchronizing OKRs in planning and execution documents improves insight, accountability, and progress tracking.
  3. Creating centralized Team Hubs with all important information in one place reduces information silos, fosters transparency, and promotes unified teamwork.

Backstage - How I Pair with Teams

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 59 implied HN points • 24 Jun 23
💼 Business Productivity Remote work Tech Teams
  1. Working remotely with tech leads and their teams can be challenging due to different approaches being perceived as intrusive or creating undue pressure.
  2. Enabling growth in teams requires finding a balance between being helpful and not overshadowing or complicating the team's problems.
  3. Supporting teams in their growth journey involves being mindful of how one's actions can impact their productivity and autonomy.

On why the advice "if you want to leave a meeting, just start getting up" works

Defender’s corner • 19 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Self-care Work-life balance Personal Development Productivity
  1. The advice of getting up to leave a meeting without a specific excuse works by lowering your standard of what is an acceptable reason to leave.
  2. Deadlines function similarly, not creating work out of nowhere but pushing you to start and improve upon what you have.
  3. You can train your subconscious filter by consciously evaluating excuses and adjusting your automatic labeling of ideas, leading to better decision-making and creativity.

Why it matters

My Home Office Hacks • 5 implied HN points • 18 Nov 24
💼 Business Remote work Productivity Workplace culture Employee Wellbeing
  1. Using a clear writing style like Smart Brevity helps people get the main point quickly. It's good to know the main idea within the first couple of sentences.
  2. This writing style allows for more information after stating the main point, giving readers a chance to dive deeper into the topic. You can also include calls to action for more interaction.
  3. It's important to keep movement in your daily routine, especially when working from home. Small changes can make a big difference in how you feel throughout the day.

Applying the Core 4 (Part 1)

Engineering Enablement • 12 implied HN points • 19 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Developer Tools Productivity Software Engineering Metrics Frameworks
  1. Use a survey to gather Core 4 metrics easily. It's designed for simplicity, so anyone can set it up.
  2. Calculate your metrics by averaging survey responses for Speed, Quality, and Impact. For Effectiveness, look at the positive responses overall.
  3. Once you have your results, compare them with industry benchmarks to see how you're doing. This helps you understand your team's performance better.

✅ New book: AI tools for public relations

Wadds Inc. newsletter • 39 implied HN points • 30 Nov 23
🕹 Technology AI Tools Public Relations Digital Media Productivity Content creation
  1. The book covers how AI tools like large language models can help public relations by making writing and understanding information easier.
  2. It showcases productivity tools that can make tasks like transcribing and media monitoring faster and more efficient.
  3. The book emphasizes the importance of human skills in PR, like emotional intelligence and ethics, even when using advanced AI tools.

How to speed up your group decisions

Ruben Ugarte's Growth Needle™ • 19 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
💼 Business Management Decision-making Organizational Behavior Remote work Productivity
  1. Group decisions can take a long time, especially with remote work. It's important to find ways to make these decisions quicker.
  2. Using decision maps can help clarify the decision-making process. They can guide groups through their choices more efficiently.
  3. Understanding how long decisions take in your organization can highlight where improvements are needed. This awareness can help teams speed things up.

How do you go so fast?

Sunday Letters • 119 implied HN points • 17 Jan 23
💼 Business Management Productivity Team Dynamics Innovation Leadership
  1. In bigger companies, things can slow down because there are many people involved and a lot of requirements. It's easy to get used to this slow pace, but it's important to push for speed when working on new projects.
  2. People often mistake being busy with actually making progress. Sitting in meetings and creating documents doesn’t always mean you are building something valuable for users.
  3. Moving quickly can be challenging because you have to adapt and learn while you go. It requires a different mindset and the willingness to take risks while focusing on what matters most.

GRANTED: The case for closing open offices and opening our minds

Granted • 99 implied HN points • 30 Sep 22
💼 Business Productivity Psychology Podcasts Leadership
  1. It's important to balance caring about others' opinions and being true to your values, without conforming.
  2. Open offices have negative impacts like increased sick days and lower cognitive performance; access to private spaces is crucial for health and productivity.
  3. Consider the future of intelligence and survival; exploring deep-held beliefs and opening minds can lead to growth and progress.

My Markdown personal management system

normality’s Substack • 3 HN points • 25 Jul 24
🕹 Technology Software Productivity Management Documentation
  1. This personal management system uses plain text in Markdown format, making it easy to use and modify. You can adjust it to suit your own workflow without getting overwhelmed.
  2. It provides flexibility while still offering helpful structure, so you can prioritize your tasks effectively. You can customize it to include sections for today, this week, and even future tasks.
  3. Though it's a personal tool, it can help you keep track of your projects and milestones. You can also use it to document completed tasks, which can be handy for remembering what you’ve accomplished.

How empty spaces in your calendar lead to better decisions

Ruben Ugarte's Growth Needle™ • 39 implied HN points • 21 Nov 23
💼 Business Leadership Decision-making Emotional Intelligence Productivity Organizational Behavior
  1. Building emotional competence helps leaders make better decisions. It's important for leaders to understand their emotions and those of others.
  2. Having empty spaces in your schedule allows for better brainstorming and connecting ideas. It gives your brain time to think and create.
  3. The idea of 'blocks of time' can limit decision-making in companies. Companies should be more flexible instead of strictly scheduling everything.

The Way of Mediocre Man | #228

Boundless by Paul Millerd • 165 implied HN points • 24 Jun 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Mindfulness Self-Improvement Work-life balance Personal Growth Productivity
  1. Mediocre effort can lead to surprising success over time by consistently doing things you enjoy.
  2. Avoid wasting effort on things you don't want to do to prevent wasting years of your life.
  3. Embrace a stance toward life that is different from traditional success paths, focusing on emotional sophistication, ambiguity tolerance, and sustained effort.

The Science of Daily Distractions.

Day One • 539 implied HN points • 15 May 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Self-care Productivity Growth Motivation Distractions
  1. Living in today's world means being surrounded by limitless distractions that can hinder focus and productivity.
  2. To eliminate distractions, consider physical separation from tempting items like phones and optimizing your online environment.
  3. Challenging oneself, embracing discomfort, and connecting with high-performing individuals are key to personal growth and achieving greatness.

A gift guide for your internet friends

The Ask Newsletter — by Ellen Donnelly • 15 implied HN points • 18 Dec 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Marketing E-commerce Productivity Digital Media
  1. Consider giving gifts that support big-picture thinkers and business owners. These gifts can offer new perspectives and help them grow.
  2. Look for gifts that inspire creators, such as courses and tools that help them express their ideas and build their projects.
  3. Gift tools that assist planners and dreamers in organizing their thoughts and achieving their goals for the upcoming year.